What is the globe theatre? How is it connected to Shakespeare? What is its history and legacy? What was it like in Shakespeare’s time? What is its architecture and how did it function as a theatre? What is it like today? What is the new Shakespeare’s Globe in London? What is its history and its mission? Answer Prepared by: Brooke H.
According to Paul Shuter and Daniel Hahn in Discovering Shakespeare’s Globe, The Globe Theatre was on the Bankside of London where Shakespeare wrote and preformed all of his comedies and tragedies. Previously known as “The Theater,” the rent became too high so piece by piece it was dragged across the frozen Themes on a frigid night.1 Renamed The Globe Theatre, the timbers were assembled and the Globe was open for business.1 Then in 1613, when a cannon was shot during a performance, a spark ignited the roof and the theatre burned to the ground. The 3,000 people in the theater managed to exit through two narrow doors, all escaping unscathed.1 Then in 1614 it was rebuilt after much discussion. Prior to the fire, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men played in The Globe in the summer and Blackfriars in the winter. They could have stayed at Blackfriars but instead they chose to rebuild the Globe. It was very costly: 1,400 pounds and almost twice as much as the Theater cost originally. It was well worth the investment because the theater was one of the most successful theaters in the area.
During Shakespeare’s time, going to the theatre was a much different experience. Shuter and Hahn explain in Discovering Shakespeare’s Globe that people from every social class attended. To enter the theatre in the 17th century there were no tickets, but you did have to pay a pence. This doesn’t seem like very much, but it was about 1/10 of the average person’s pay for a day. That got you a spot on the ground floor. If you could afford a bit more then you could sit in the stands, and if you were very wealthy, you had your own box. As many people as possible were packed into the galleries so that the theatre could make the most money possible. As many as 3,000 people could fit in the Globe theatre at one time. Imagine the smell!
Archeologists can only speculate what the Globe looked like in the 17th century. Archeologist have found some remains of the Globe that suggest the stage was on the southwest side of the Globe and that the theatre was a polygonal figure with 22 sides. We also have learned of some aspects of the theatre through references in Shakespeare’s plays. Through different letters diaries and artifacts, we have a model of what the Globe would have looked like in Shakespeare’s day.
According to http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/, the Globe today is a reconstruction of what researchers believe it looked like in the 17th century. The Globe trust was started in 1980 and Organized by a Shakespeare enthusiast, Sam Wannamaker. By 1987 the foundations were being laid. Then, unfortunately, in 1993, Wannamaker died. There were financial delays but in 1987 the recreation of the Globe was finished. The recreated Globe was built as close to the original as possible but there are a few differences. The new Globe has added modern adjustments and safety precautions, such as exit signs. It is also the first thatched roof since the fire of 1666, and extra fire precautions have been taken including a sprinkler system, fire resistant thatch and sheet metal under the thatch. The Globe is a thriving theater and Shakespeare education center. It is dedicated to teaching people not only more about Shakespeare, but the time and lives of his contemporaries and the average person. One can also see a variety of plays. Today the Globe is remembered and celebrated through the recreation that has been built.
Here is a video explaining a little bit about the archeological dig of the Globe!
Shuter, Paul, and Daniel Hahn.Discovering Shakespeare's Globe. London: Shakespeare's Globe Trust, 2009. Print.
Side Notes and Fun Facts to Know and tell
-After a large fire in London, there was the first building code banning Thatch roof. It was not until 1666 after The Great Fire of London that this was strictly enforced.
-Nobody ever threw fruit in the Globe. It would have been too expensive and fruit was a luxury. If they had had a piece of fruit, they probably would have eaten it.
What is the globe theatre? How is it connected to Shakespeare? What is its history and legacy? What was it like in Shakespeare’s time? What is its architecture and how did it function as a theatre? What is it like today? What is the new Shakespeare’s Globe in London? What is its history and its mission?
Answer Prepared by: Brooke H.
Archeologists can only speculate what the Globe looked like in the 17th century. Archeologist have found some remains of the Globe that suggest the stage was on the southwest side of the Globe and that the theatre was a polygonal figure with 22 sides. We also have learned of some aspects of the theatre through references in Shakespeare’s plays. Through different letters diaries and artifacts, we have a model of what the Globe would have looked like in Shakespeare’s day.
According to http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/, the Globe today is a reconstruction of what researchers believe it looked like in the 17th century. The Globe trust was started in 1980 and Organized by a Shakespeare
Here is a video explaining a little bit about the archeological dig of the Globe!
Links to learn more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgnInT4x8kA
A quick over view video
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/
The official Globe Website
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article4466781.ece
An article about the archeological dig of the original Globe Theatre
Works Cited
Chrisp, Peter. "Building the Globe."Shakespeare. New York : Dk Publishing, 2004. 34-35, 40-41. Print.
Chrisp, Peter. Welcome to the Globe Story of Shakespeares Theater. New York : Dk Publishing, 2000. Print.
Forward, Toby. Shakespeare's Globe: An Interactive Pop-up Theatre. Cambridge: Candlewick, 2005. Print.
"Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Bankside, Southwark, London."Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Bankside, Southwark, London. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.
<http://__www.shakespeares-globe.org/__>.
Shuter, Paul, and Daniel Hahn.Discovering Shakespeare's Globe. London: Shakespeare's Globe Trust, 2009. Print.
Side Notes and Fun Facts to Know and tell
-After a large fire in London, there was the first building code banning Thatch roof. It was not until 1666 after The Great Fire of London that this was strictly enforced.-Nobody ever threw fruit in the Globe. It would have been too expensive and fruit was a luxury. If they had had a piece of fruit, they probably would have eaten it.